Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron: The Perfect Comedy

At the shop’s opening, they wait for guests and potential customers with a catchy slogan: Is shaher ka sabse beautiful Beauty Studio ka 50 per cent malik Vinod/Sudhir aapka swagat karta hai (Vinod/Sudhir, owners of the most beautiful Beauty Studio in town welcome you), and a table full of samosas, ladoos, gulab jamuns and beer bottles.
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Their excitement is shortlived. The appetising table is mercilessly vandalised.

I am speaking of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, a small NFDC film created by a bunch of enthusiasts with all that they had in terms of creativity and resources.

Made at a shoestring budget of roughly Rs 8-9 lakh, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron was no blockbuster, but it contributed to cinema, like any film ought to.

Somehow, I can’t resist drawing a parallel with a line from the The Lord of The Rings – The Fellowship of The Ring by J R R Tolkein. In one of the chapters, elf queen Galadriel comforts hobbit Frodo Baggins by saying, “Even the smallest person can change the course of future”.

In my opinion, that is precisely what Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron did. Irrespective of its commercial fate, it was a universal hit: it grew beyond the realms of art and commercial cinema and is unanimously loved by one and all.

What an achievement it is to appeal to all kinds of mindsets. Kundan Shah and his cast and crew managed to do just that.

Twenty-one years down the line, the opening credits alone make an interesting read. Look at the cast: Naseeruddin Shah (The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen) and Om Puri (East is East) are international stars now. Satish Kaushik (who also co-wrote the dialogues with Ranjit Kapoor) is a full-fledged masala filmmaker. Neena Gupta donned the director’s mantle for small screen. Pankaj Kapur awaits the release of Maqbool, while his son Shahid storms Bollywood. Satish Shah is a leading comedian.

The crew is not far behind. Sudhir Mishra who assisted Kundan Shan on the film as well as co-wrote the story and screenplay is a director, though his recently released Chameli opened to mixed reactions. Vidhu Vinod Chopra was the production controller and appeared in a brief cameo as Dushaasan in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. Now an acclaimed director, Chopra notched a winner in Munnabhai MBBS, which he produced and co-wrote. Binod Pradhan and the late Renu Saluja handled the cinematography and editing.

Another bit of trivia is that the names of the lead characters — Vinod Chopra and Sudhir Mishra — were derived from the above-mentioned personalities.

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron is a comedy unlike any. It is HUMOROUS. Yet you cannot ignore the underlining layer of sarcasm in the subject that mocks the existing corruption.

This is how it all begins: two photographers — Vinod and Sudhir — set out to make an honest living only to be manipulated by Shobha (Bhakti Barve), the shrewd and hypocrite editor of Khabardar newspaper.

There is another contender vying for D’Mello’s attention: Ahuja (Om Puri). No less creepy than Tarneja, the perpetually drunk Ahuja baits the Commissioner with more money. The latter is more than willing to comply. Tarneja learns of this deceit and bumps off D’Mello.

Meanwhile, Vinod and Sudhir accidentally discover a picture that shows Tarneja murdering someone. The duo uncovers the dead body. It’s D’Mello. But this is no ordinary dead body. This one’s got a knack of getting away. In a hilarious encounter with an inebriated Ahuja, D’Mello finds his way into Ahuja’s guesthouse.

After a series of confusions, goof-ups and eye-openers, Vinod and Sudhir resolve to take the dead body and hand it over to the police. But D’Mello is chased relentlessly in burkhas and Mahabharata costumes by Tarneja, Ahuja and Shobhaji, followed by a grand finale amidst the Mahabharata play.

There was not a single song in the film. But Vanraj Bhatia’s fine background score moved in perfect rhythm with the film’s swift pace. The zingy beats reflected the duo’s adventure; the gentle violin suggested a hint of possible romance between Vinod and Shobhaji.

Another interesting aspect of the film was Mumbai, a city full of colourful personalities with diverse morals and ethics. Tarneja, Ahuja, Ashok, Priya, D’Mello and Shobhaji represented these vivid colours through their diverse characters. The middle class man who just wants his daily bread (read banana in JBDY’s case) through honest means and possesses an undying respect for life was aptly portrayed by Vinod and Sudhir.

One Response to Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron: The Perfect Comedy

i remember reading this even back in 2004 when you first published it. it is articles like this from you that made me follow your work even more closely and rank you among India’s best movie critics. there is another one you wrote on Andaz Apna Apna that can work as a companion piece to this article. i think i told you once in the past – you wrote this article titled ‘That Magical Medium’ which i consider as one of the greatest writing on movies ever. from time to time i showcase that evergreen hit to my fellow movie loving friends to draw them to your writing. i think you have to repost it again on your timeline – if there is any one thing that deserves wider readership, it is that article.